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Dubai; on the Cultural Map

DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 2, 2011 /CNW/ - It's not often an e-mail reduces a
grown man to tears of happiness. But then not too many young designers
are told that the Victoria & Albert Museum want to add shoes from his
debut show to its permanent exhibition. It is how the UAE's Sultan Al
Darmaki this year became the first contemporary Middle Eastern designer
to have work exhibited at one of the world's greatest collection of
decorative arts.

It is a huge step forward for the talented Al Darmaki. But it also
underlines the increasing international influence of Middle Eastern
artists and designers. For this region is no longer on the periphery of
the artistic world.

Nowhere is this changing status more striking than at Art Dubai. The
annual art fair may only be four years old but it is already an
important date on the global calendar, attracting collectors and
galleries from over 30 countries. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art
used the fair this year to launch its contemporary Middle Eastern and
North African art department.

Soon, the great museums will be permanent fixtures rather than just
regular and welcome visitors. The Louvre Abu Dhabi which will house
paintings by Manet, Ingres and Mondrian as well as memorable art from
the region is scheduled to be launched within the next few years.

The region's cultural renaissance is also attracting interest from the
East. For the first time in its 25-year history, this year's Tokyo
Designers Week will feature contributions from the Middle East. This
includes 'Dubai Futures: The Emirate's Emerging Art Scene', sponsored
by Brownbook, the brainchild of Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib.

It's not just galleries and museums which are buzzing with activity. In
October, Dubai's hosting of the international Festival of Interior
Design won praise for its role in spotlighting the region's emerging
talent. The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature draws ever bigger
names and audiences. This year's festival, held in March, featured 100
authors representing 26 nationalities, including globally acclaimed
writers Margaret Atwood and Michael Palin.

While the region's institutions and festivals are showcasing art, design
and literature from around the world, something else is stirring in
Dubai. In the dusty industrial zone of Al Quoz, an artistic
neighbourhood is fast taking shape. Like the factories and lofts of New
York's Soho and Meatpacking districts, Al Quoz is being reclaimed by
Dubai's entrepreneurial young artists as galleries and workshops open.

Al Quoz may not yet figure high on many tourist itineraries but it won't
remain a secret for long. When even Dubai's warehouses are bursting at
the seams with artistic enterprise, it's clear this is a city that is
putting itself on the cultural map.